Intruder breaking into girls’ bedrooms sought

NORTH COUNTY  A man who entered a San Marcos girl’s bedroom through an open window and touched her before she screamed, scaring him away Friday morning, may have also crawled into the bedrooms of three Escondido girls over the past three weeks.

Escondido police and sheriff’s detectives are working together, faced with the possibility they have a serial intruder on their hands.

“We are actively investigating the potential that this is the same suspect,” Escondido police Lt. Neal Griffin said.

During the San Marcos incident, which happened about 5:30 a.m., the intruder touched the grade school-aged girl, sheriff’s Lt. James Bolwerk said. She screamed and the man fled from her Calle Colnett home near East Mission Road, Bolwerk said. Her father called authorities.

Deputies searched the area but could not find the man, who was wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt.

Escondido’s Oak Hills neighborhood has had two similar break-ins, with three victims. Two of the girls were asleep in the same bedroom, Griffin said.

The intruder in the Escondido cases touched the girls as they slept, Griffin said. The victims range in age from 10 to 15.

In all of the cases, the intruder came in through an open window.

Griffin said investigators are looking into all reported break-ins and attempted break-ins in Escondido with an eye toward similarities to the Oak Hills cases. The neighborhood is on the east side of the city, about six miles from where the San Marcos incident occurred.

Both law enforcement agencies warned residents to close and lock windows and doors while they sleep.

“It’s getting to be a hot time of year, but we hope that everybody will err on the side of caution,” Bolwerk said.

Anyone with information about the Escondido cases can call Sgt. Chris Lick at (760) 839-4989. The department also has an anonymous tip line at (760) 743-8447.

Tipsters can also call the Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200.

Anonymous tips, which can bring a reward of up to $1,000 if they lead to an arrest, can be left with Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Anonymous emails and texts can be sent to sdcrimestoppers.com.